Between the Paranormal
by The What-If Writer
Summary: One-shot: Set a few years before 'Into the Nexus' After escaping from another fragile detainment prison, Vendra Progg encounters another being that sparks her interest- but not too much. "There had been unease in their voices, and for once it wasn't directed at her..."


_I've only seen snippets of Vendra's character, but I think I may know the outside characterization that she has. My story 'Lifeforce' that I'm hoping to write is set before 'Nexus' and the character of mine in this I made long before I knew about Vendra's design, and powers. I wondered how the two would interact, and this happened. The full summery of my story I'll put at the bottom if you want to know more (I doubt so) Sorry if this OC seems confusing, but I won't spoil my future story. And I wanted to experiment with Vendra mostly, so..._

_So here's a little experiment with Vendra's character. Daft to do so early, yep, But oh well._

* * *

Between Paranormal

This universe, in her opinion, was soft and delicate.

She supposed that's what made it so easy to be a criminal. In some galaxies there where whole sectors of space without law, where death and depravity reigned free. Not that she was particularly bothered.

This prison had been taken over in a matter of seconds- after she awoke of course. It was almost routine; she'd be caught because of a little slip in a plan, end up in prison...and then make sure they never dared jail her again.

Though Vendra found herself wondering idly why she remained.

Neftin, being the oaf of her brother he was, would not question her taking her time. She liked playing with the idiots that had jailed her anyway. But something else had sparked her attention; something her physic subconscious had picked up during cryo-sleep.

The guards, who on any other day she'd give no second glance, had spoken of someone.

"They say this guy's some kinda zombie."

"Zomibe? Great...more freaks. I'm sure he an' the witch'll get on like a house on fire."

"I hope she can't hear us..."

There had been unease in their voices, and for once it wasn't directed at her. A spark of something had lit in her mind upon that realization- someone rivalling she, the Space Witch who many feared?

So she found him. Easily enough; a large cell in solitary. A few notes beside the door told of his sentence; mere months for continuous violent behaviour.

Public menace? Please.

Vendra rolled her sharp eyes and raised a hand to the petty door lock. It sparked in protest out her will, then spun around in defeat. A smile tugged at her lip and she tilted her head.

I could have easily looked through to see you...but I wanted the surprise to last.

The large door, heavy and menacing to most, slid open slowly, clanking loudly through the hallway. The mercenaries her brother had hired could still be heard in their destruction somewhere else in the prison, but here it seemed quiet.

Vendra Progg didn't allow her genuine alarm to show. She had expected a brute; a large creature like Neftin to be bound up in the cell. But instead, in this dome-like area, hovered a blue energy orb, suspending its prisoner in its grasp. It was dark part from that; no lights inside. Chains locked around his ankles and wrists, and he was laid back in the air like he was relaxing on a beach, hands behind his head.

He looked far from relaxed; but it was not the expression Vendra was surprised by. Her eyes narrowed as she saw this 'Zombie' as he'd been called, was no bigger than her. Maybe an inch shorter, even. Covered in scraggly, purplish, unkempt fur like a stray cat. Her nose wrinkled a little in disgust.

Then she saw a tail, an ear- and its shredded partner on the other side of his head. Triangular ear, cat-like...five fingered. A lombax, from Polaris.

She hadn't been to Polaris in a while; for good reasons. But she knew that this race was supposed to be extinct- yet here one was. Looking like he'd been dragged through a shredder or twelve in the meantime...

Despite the door opening without being silent exactly, he hadn't seemed to have spotted her. Vendra scowled and hovered forward, and her anger made the lights in the cell spark aggressively.

The lombax looked at her, and a pair of icy, pale blue eyes met hers. He moved around in the bubble he was trapped in; like turning in water. Facing her upright, he frowned right back at her.

Vendra put on a smug sort of expression, tilting her head. "Well, I must say I expected more..."

Instead of being irked, the young lombax mad grinned, and even chuckled a bit. He clicked his teeth and tilted his head to the side as well, eyes lidded. "Well. Everyone does, really."

Vendra's brow furrowed and she examined her nails, before looking back up at the other with a scathing look. She knew what kind of person this was with a glance- over-confident, snarky and downright annoying. How had she been interested in knowing why he had stuck unease in the guards? "Some speak of you as if you're to be feared...lombax."

His grin widened, eyes sparking mischievously. "Oh Really?"

Something had changed. Vendra's sense where picking something else up; something underneath that snarky little grin. Behind those pales eyes, something burned.

The lombax placed his hands behind his head again; the chains hanging from his wrists clinking a little. "Some people who watched too much get a lil' unnerved sometimes."

Vendra cocked a brow almost challengingly, smirking. "Really? You know what I see? A delinquent who's been put in the naughty corner."

"Listen, hotcakes, I don't know why you're here...but I prefer being alone."

Her smirk faded, and her blood boiled a little under her pale skin. His tone had started out plain; careless even, then something else had inked through. Threat. Anger. Darkness.

And she was intrigue-d but only a little. She raised a hand towards his forehead, and he discarded his smile and recoiled from her cold touch. Vendra closed her eyes, and her mind reached out to see...

...And it was like a radio signal being distorted- not blocked, but crashed into. Something was already there; buzzing and beating. Her eyes snapped open and she drifeted away from him a little.

Flicker.

Something flashed around his form, like lightning- like glitching programming. Blue light, and it appeared so fast, then faded away with an odd noise- the best way she could describe it was something sliding slowly against cold glass.

She stared, seething, into his furious pale eyes.

"What are you?"

He snorted, and gave a short laugh with a humorless smile that faded as fast as it had appeared. "None of your business, Sugar Hair."

She slapped him.

Vendra stared at her hand in surprise as he let out a growling yelp, his head sill lying to the side. He slowly lifted his head to look at her again; still, with a silent, steady glare.

She wasn't sorry at all- she quite liked giving him what he had coming to him. But she had never been driven to physically attack- so quickly. Usually she used her powers...much more efficient.

She was just so infuriating. Yet interesting. He wasn't like the other idiots she had to deal with, though she didn't hold him in much higher regard. She glared at him and lowered her hand without any trace of apology. He continued scowling at her.

"You're an angry little creature, aren't you...?" She said dryly, flexing her nimble fingers. He smiled, brow barley furrowed, eyes still, unblinking. And for a moment, just a tiny moment, Vendra may have known what the guards spoke of.

But she was worse than that. She lifted her head high and her lips twisted in a frown.

Then, he finally answered.

"Yeah, Pretty Much."

That creepy look of his faded, then. It became more neutral, frown still in place like a stray cat waiting to see what would happen next. Vendra cocked her head to the side.

"Before I leave you to rot here...I want to ask you something..."

"Hmm?"

She paused, just looking at him for not particular reason. What an annoying, hard-headed man, she thought to herself darkly.

"Why do they call you a 'Zombie'?"

He smiled a little, eyes again lidded and mocking, "Why do they call you a Witch?"

Vendra scowled and threw her arms out. The cell shook; the lights outside flickered- his chains tightened around him. He remained stiff, scowling. Vendra smiled smoothly. "That's why."

The lombax lowered his head, his eyes closing. He remained perfectly still- and for a moment it would seem he'd fallen asleep, hadn't that frown looked so concentrated and deep.

Then, his eyes slid open and looked at her. Almost...tiredly. Vendra held no pity, however- whatever struggled that brought him here was no sob-story worth her time.

He licked his lips and shrugged. "Can't tell you, really. I suppose...you could say I refuse to die."

A ghost of smile appeared on his face then. Then he turned away a little; still hovering in the energy bubble.

Vendra took her cue to leave. She'd had enough of him, but stopped in the air outside the doorway. She called back in a feigned 'nice' voice. "Goodbye, Zombie. Enjoy the dark."

She smiled cruelly at him and lifted her palm to the door lock. It began to slide shut again, and slowly his head turned to face her again. That look, with locked eyes and lowered chin, met her again.

"Bye, Vendra. I'll see you soon..."

_Clank._

* * *

As she rode away in the ship, Vendra ignored her brother's boasting and half-hearted questions about what took her so long.

She wasn't unnerved, or impressed by the young lombax man. He was a stray mongrel; she saw them all the time. It would have scared another other person, him knowing her name, but she wasn't exactly unheard of.

It was then he realized that she hadn't been able to get his name. Or anything else- something surrounded him. Not powers like her own, but an aura that coated him like a clinging stench.

Whatever it was, she decided she'd find out later.

She had better things to do.

And so that lombax vanished to the back of her mind; much like how he was still hovering in the darkness of his cell as she sailed towards freedom like a bird in the air.

* * *

_She's nice, ain't she?_

_Summery of the story this lombax is going to be in is on my ^^ Link in Profile. Hope you liked this, and please review!_


End file.
